Pictures of Advance Copies, a Shipping Schedule Update, and Another Historic S&S Character on the Horizon...
7 days ago – Fri, Nov 06, 2026 at 09:39:09 AM

IN SHORT

• As the publisher I get my personal copies in advance, and they've just arrived! Scroll down to see pictures of finished issues identical to the ones you will receive.
  
  
• If the shipping Gods continue to smile on us, it's looking like this year's issues will arrive at our warehouse on Nov 27th. 
  
  
• Fulfilling a crowdfund this big takes a little time to set up once the books are in our hands, so we won't begin shipping orders that same day but we hope to begin fulfillment relatively soon after.
  
  
• Barring mishap, our next update will be to let you know that the print run is in our warehouse and provide a day for fulfillment to begin.
  
  
• The combined Backerkit survey for NESS 2026 and BLUE FIRE should be coming out soon, ideally some time next week, so those who backed both campaigns can save mightily on shipping by having everything sent in a single package. 

• We are currently crowdfunding reprints of the nearly-lost tales of DOSSOUYE by Charles R. Saunders, a queer warrior woman whose Sword & Soul tales are rooted in African history, legends, and cultures. You can learn more here: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/dossouye

IN DETAIL

My favorite piece of mail in a year is always the advance copies of our newest issues!

Got a friend who missed the crowdfund? They can still pre-order here: https://sword-sorcery-2026.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Here's a comparison of this year's different fonts, wider margins & more textured paper with the fonts, tighter margins & smoother paper of our previous years:

I'm very happy with what I see, and I hope you are too.

Meanwhile, Brackenbury Books is proud to be crowdfunding reprints of a different classic character - the collected stories of Charles R. Saunders' DOSSOUYE!  

Charles was the first African-American author of Sword & Sorcery, writing a version of it rooted in African cultures, history, and myths - which he called SWORD & SOUL.

He died in 2020 and his works swiftly went out of print, at risk of being lost forever!

But, working with his estate, we are trying to reprint all of the stories starring his queer warrior woman character DOSSOUYE in two books: one collecting all the short stories, the other a novel.

You can learn more on the crowdfund page at the link below. Please consider backing this and telling a friend about it!

 https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/dossouye 

Keep your swords sharp and your sorcery numinous,

THE FINAL PROOFS
about 1 month ago – Thu, Oct 01, 2026 at 12:07:36 PM

The final stage of proofing is a set of the new issues which are otherwise identical to the end product, but unbound. Seeing this picture, you can really appreciate how much the binding process compresses the contents!



Speaking of the contents, below is a direct comparison between our white paper & font so far (top) and our new font and more textured, lightly golden paper (below).





This year the final, unbound proofs included a copy of the double-sided poster all physical tier backers are receiving, so I was able to put both sides BEside each other:



Only at this stage do the covers have a gloss applied, and boy do we love how they make the colors pop!

HAVEN'T CLAIMED YOUR COPIES YET? YOU CAN STILL PRE-ORDER THEM HERE: https://sword-sorcery-2026.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Blessedly everything looks okay! I say "blessedly" because by this point the printing process has BEGUN and so asking for any changes is very disruptive and costly.

This update is being kept brief because, well, I GOT MARRIED THIS WEEK and am leaving for our honeymoon on Sunday night. AHHHH, so much to do before we leave...

So updates might be slow for a bit, but honestly we're at the point now where I've signed off on everything and can only pray the shipping gods smile down on us. I'll provide an update if there are any significant delays, however for now it looks like we should be able to begin fulfillment some in late November.

Meanwhile, if you're curious what we have coming up next, you may wish to sign up for MYSTERY PROJECT: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/mystery-project/pre-launch

Keep your sword sharp and your sorcery numinous,

Proofs! New paper! Powerful postcards! And more...
2 months ago – Sat, Sep 05, 2026 at 05:10:18 AM

The proofing copies of the magazine came in and we made a short video about them:

MEANWHILE

• Don't forget, if you didn't back the crowdfund you can still pre-order the upcoming issues here: https://sword-sorcery-2026.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
  
  
• NEW EDGE SWORD & SORCERY NOVELLAS 2026: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/new-edge-sword-sorcery-novellas-2026
  
  At 86% funding already, the crowdfund for this set of Sword & Sorcery novellas is going strong! Have you SEEN the covers yet?
  
  Our crowdfund exclusives include postcards of them all:
  
  

With three weeks left, you could help unlock great stretch goals like our International Shipping Discount and...



...a bonus zine filled with 17,000 words worth of short stories starring a new adventure couple you won't regret getting to know better!

Barbarous booklovers like yourself can learn more, and claim their novellas, here: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/new-edge-sword-sorcery-novellas-2026

Keep your swords sharp & your sorcery numinous,

Off to the printers, a NESS interior art preview, and novella cover reveals!
3 months ago – Mon, Aug 17, 2026 at 08:57:17 AM

IN SHORT

• We got our files off to the printer last week but things have been so busy we're only telling you now.
  
  
• This begins the proofing process, which you can read about in this free, public Patreon post from a previous year: https://www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovel/posts/ness-traditional-94261624
  
  
• Our current estimate for fulfillment starting is Nov 20th.  That may change and we'll update you if it does.
  
  
• You can get an early peek at some NESS 2026 art by checking out the sign-up page for our Fall novella set crowdfund: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/new-edge-sword-sorcery-novellas-2026/pre-launch

IN DETAIL

Yes! Our issues are at the printer and we have begun the process of working with them to make sure you get the highest quality hardcopy reproductions of the excellent work by our coterie of creators.

As soon as we have something physical in our hands to show, we'll share pictures with you!

Meanwhile NEW EDGE SWORD & SORCERY NOVELLAS 2026 is having weekly cover reveals until the crowdfund launches on Sept 3rd. Here's the two shown so far...




You can learn more and get your first preview of NESS 2026 interior art, a Daniel Vega illustration of Lathra, by going here: 

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/new-edge-sword-sorcery-novellas-2026/pre-launch

Keep your swords sharp and your sorcery numinous,

NESS / SWORDS AGAINST! ZINE PREVIEW
4 months ago – Wed, Jul 08, 2026 at 09:21:43 AM

Hello!

Those who backed both this crowdfund and our collaborators, Swords Against!, will be receiving a fun double-zine featuring a unique short story on each side from an author being published in each respective magazine this year.



Paul over at Swords Against! just recorded this fun little video of a proof copy and we wanted to share it with you. Physical format backers of both campaigns will get one, and all backers of both campaigns will receive the digital edition.

Keep your swords sharp and your sorcery numinous,